Closure fitting for flexible wall containers



Sept. 11, 1956 E E 2,762,637

CLOSURE FITTING FOR FLEXIBLE WALL. CONTAINERS Filed Jan. 5, 1953 INVENTOR. 64 in 7? iF/EAE.

CLOSURE FITTING FQRFIjEX IBLE WALL CONTAINERS Glenn T. Rieke, Aubu md, asst' 'nor to Rieke'Met'al Products Corporation, Auburn, Ind., Ia corpdration AppIication JanuaryS, 1953,:sefii1 N0.'329;6s2

3 Claims. 01. 285200) This' invention relates toa closur' e fi'tting for containers, and particularly a containers of flexible, yielding material,

such as rubber, usually in the form-of rubber druins.

The closure fitting includes an-intefri'ally threaded "flange adapted to receive an externally threa'ded closure 'pl'ug, 'spout orthe like.

Whereas internally threaded flanges have been commonly employed in connection with metal containers or drums wherein the wall to which the fitting is applied is relatively rigid and non-compressible, it is the purpose of this invention to provide a suitable fitting readily attachable in sealing engagement with a flexible and compressible or yielding material on the order of rubber.

The invention, therefore, contemplates provision of a flange body having an annular recess into which the rubber wall on the container may extend to be compressed in sealing engagement therewith by an inwardly and downwardly cammed compression collar through the medium of a clamping ring.

The full nature of the invention will be understood from the accompanying drawings and the following description and claims:

Fig. 1 is a central vertical section through the flange body.

Fig. 2 is a perspective view of the split compression collar.

Fig. 3 is a perspective view of the clamping ring.

Fig. 4 is a central vertical section through the fitting assembly mounted in an opening provided in the wall of a container, portions of the container being broken away.

Fig. 5 is the same as Fig. 4, showing the fitting clamped to the container.

In the drawings for illustration there is shown a container which may comprise a rubber drum having a top wall 11 of a flexible yielding material, such as rubber. Within the wall 11 there is provided an annular opening 12 for receiving a closure fitting.

The closure fitting comprises essentially an internally threaded flange body 13 of suitable dimensions for mounting in the opening 12 of the container. Said flange body is provided intermediate its ends with an annular recess 14 into which a portion of the Wall 11 surrounding the opening 12 is adapted to extend when the flange body is inserted through the opening 12. The flange body is provided on one side of the recess with an under base flange 15, and at the other side of the recess it is formed with a top camming flange 16 having an under out camming face 17. It is to be understood that in inserting the flange body through the opening 12 of the container, in the position shown in Fig. 4, the material of the wall 11 is sufiiciently flexible and yielding to be stretched for passing the base flange through the opening, while permitting the wall to thereupon extend into the annular recess between the under base flange and a shoulder 18 provided about the adjacent side of the camming flange.

For clamping and sealing the flange body within the opening in the wall of the container, a split compression 2,762,637 Patented Sept. 11, 1956 collar, as shown in Fig Z, is F ilacedabout the under cut cammingface #11 of theflange body in the position shown in Fig.4. Saidcollar r-may be a single ,piece with asingle split therein, or may -be-in two-halves tas illustrated. It is formed with an inwardly extending flange v19 adapted to rest upon the "upper surface of the wall 11 with its i nner edgegabutting the under cut camming, face 17 cf the flange body. lt :alsosincludes an upwardly extending flange 20 which likewise engages the upper ,portion 7 of said camming face.

:For clamping and .sealing the assembly there is uprovided an endless clamping ring .21, asgshown in Fig. (3, having-an inside diamter ofa dimension -to slide sever the, periphery .of the top camming *flange --With the clamping .ring mountedtabout the assembly, --as-shown =in Fig. 4, :to embrace the compression collar, -a suitable -clamping and crimping .tool-scommonly vused in -the tart is applied thereabout l-to apply ea crimping force radially inwardly against the clamping ring .-as2indicatedsby :the

arrows. in :Fig. 4. :Said --clamping' ring thereby exerts .a

radial inward force against the upstanding flange 20 of the compression collar, which is cammed downwardly by the under cut camming face 17 of the camming flange. As the compression collar is thus cammed downwardly, its inwardly extending flange 19 will compress the yielding material of the wall 11 surrounding the opening 12 sufliciently to permit it to underlie the shoulder 18. With the material compressed by the flange 19 extending under said shoulder a tight seal will be effected between the wall and the fitting, which seal will be permanently maintained by the surrounding force and camming action resulting from the inward crimping of the clamping ring 21.

With the fitting thus assembled and sealed in the wall of the container, any suitable closure plug or spout having proper external threads (not shown) may be screwed into the flange body in the usual manner.

The invention claimed is:

l. A closure fitting for a container having a wall of compressible material provided with a circular opening, an annular internally threaded body disposed Within said opening and having a portion of its external diameter of a size corresponding to the diameter of said opening, a base flange projecting outwardly from said body underlying and supporting the adjacent surface of said wall, a shoulder projecting outwardly from said body in parallelism with said base flange and spaced from the latter a distance substantially equal to the thickness of said wall and of less diameter than said base flange, a camming face extending from the outer edge of said shoulder in a straight line substantially to the upper outer edge of said body, a split compression collar having a flat flange to rest upon the outer surface of said wall to engage between the latter and said shoulder, the external diameter of said flange being substantially equal to the external diameter of the upper edge of said body, an upwardly extending flange at the outer edge of said flat flange engaging said camming face and tightly clamping said wall between said flat flange and said base flange, and a clamping ring encircling and snugly embracing said upstanding flange.

2. A closure fitting for a container having a wall of compressible material provided with a circular opening, an annular body engaged in said opening and having an outer surface to snugly embrace the edges of the latter, a base flange and a camming flange extending outwardly from said surface in spaced relationship, said base flange underlying and engaged with the wall surrounding said opening, a shoulder on said camming flange in spaced parallelism with said base flange and spaced from the latter a distance substantially equal to the thickness of said wall, a straight camming face extending inwardly 3 from the upper outer edge of said camming flange and mergingwithsaid shoulder, a split compression collar having a flat flange resting upon the outer surface of said wall with its inner edge disposed between the latter and said shoulden'an upstanding bendable flange at the outer edge of said flat flange having its outer edge ent gaged' with said camming face, and a clamping ring encircling said upstanding flange and of substantially the same height as the latter, said ring adapted to be deformed radially inward to'cause the upper edge of said upstanding flange to ride upon said camming face thereby to move said flat flange in clamping engagement with said wall.

3. A closurefitting for a container having a wall of compressible material provided with a circular opening, an annular body formed of rigid material engaged in said opening and having an outer surface to snugly ernbrace the edges of the latter, a base flangeand a camming flange integral with and extending outwardly from said'surface in spaced relationship,-said base flange underlying and engaged with the wall of said opening, a shoulder on said camming flange -in spaced parallelism with said base flange and spaced from the latter-a distance substantially equal to the thickness'ofsaid wall,

a camming face extending inwardly from the upper outer adapted to be deformed radially inward to cause said upstanding flange to bend radially inward to ride upon said camming face and to move said flat flange in clamping engagement with said wall.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,036,152 Langman Mar, 31,1936 2,052,394 Pullman Aug.' ,25, 19.36 2,112,352 Vetrano ;M 29, 1938 2,266,611 Martin D 16, 1941 2,342,910 Tinnerman Eeb 2 9, 1944 2,710,202 1955 Wurzel June-p7, 

